Distributed content is now the norm, but are you up to speed?

Joshua Benton,
Nieman Lab,
March 2015
Read this article to learn how some publishers approached platforms when the term “distributed content” was new, plus tips for publishers still deciding how to pursue distribution.

In 2015, Joshua Benton wrote about the introduction of the phrase “distributed content,” which has since become a common way to describe content published for social media platforms. Though this article was published a few years ago, many publishers are still in the process of shifting from using social media strategies for only link distribution to using them to host content in various forms, which Benton called “a predictable result of the rise of mobile devices.” The article mentions several examples of publishers that have shifted to distributed content strategies.

“You can see the common line through all of these: The triumph of the social platform. In one sense, nothing new — Facebook colonized the world’s eyeballs some time ago. But the pitch to publishers has changed. It used to be: Spend some time cultivating a following of our network—we’ll send you a ton of traffic. That’s now evolving into: Give up some of your independence and step inside our walls—we promise we’ll make it worth your while.”